


Blood

by doitsushine92



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - MAMA (Music Video), Gen, MAMA AU, Timelines, chapters make no sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-09-22 08:05:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9594992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doitsushine92/pseuds/doitsushine92
Summary: They were supposed to travel to Earth as ambassadors. This wasn't supposed to happen.





	1. Chanyeol

**Author's Note:**

> Each chapter will follow a different member, but the timeline will be messed up.

Chanyeol

The first thing Chanyeol noticed when he woke up was the heat. It was sweltering, and the clothes he was wearing were clinging to him like a second skin. One look down and he noticed those weren’t his clothes. He didn’t own loafers, of all shoes.

He also couldn’t remember anything other than walking aimlessly for… how long? He couldn’t tell. But he could at least guess that it had been a long time, because his limbs ached. The sun blinded him. There wasn’t a sign of civilization in any direction he looked.

Chanyeol sighed. He was confused, he was hot and he was hungry. There was a throbbing in his left arm, just above his wrist. He looked down. It was a number; 64, inked into his skin. A code for something, maybe? He didn’t know. There were a lot of things he didn’t know or remember, apparently. 

Chanyeol figured the best plan at the moment was to start walking. Maybe he’d find a clue that would tell him where he was. Or where the boys were. The last thing he remembered was being in the pod, Baekhyun by his side, holding his hand as they hurled across the galaxy. He remembered Minseok shouting something about a meteorite. A crash. Baekhyun being ripped from his side. And then it got blurry; walking… walking… and walking some more, a bright light, something piercing his skin.

And then he was waking up. He was in a field, and there seemed to be a forest of some sorts a couple miles away. Maybe he could get there before dawn. He lifted his palm and tried to create a flame. Nothing. Heartbeat increasing, he tried again. He concentrated as hard as he could, but to no avail; there was no response. Swallowing down the panic threatening to escape him, Chanyeol got to his feet. He would worry about his problem at night, especially if it got cold.

The sun was starting to get lower in the sky, indicating the progress of the afternoon. Chanyeol had no idea what direction he was going in, and he wasn’t familiar with the human’s cardinal points. At least, he guessed he was on Earth. They already had been in their orbit when they crashed. It only made sense. 

By the time night fell, Chanyeol was already at the edge of the forest. He had been right; it did get cold, and that was a problem, considering he couldn’t use his power. He had kept trying during his walk, but there had been nothing. Chanyeol was worried now; he didn’t know how he was going to eat if he didn’t find an animal, and even if he did, how was he supposed to cook them without his fire? He hadn’t paid attention to the survival lessons back when they were kids.

The trees were thick and strong, and the leaves overlapped each other. Now that he was there, he could hear small animals running around. Chanyeol found a fallen trunk and sat down, panting. He was exhausted; he couldn’t remember the last time he had walked that much in such short time.

Chanyeol formed a plan in his head; first, he would find an animal. Then, he’d find a way to make fire. He’d rest for the night and by sunrise he’d find a way to civilization. Pleased, Chanyeol got back to his feet. 

Finding food wasn’t a problem; catching it was. He had his eyes set on a large rabbit, but the damn thing was way faster than him. Somehow, Chanyeol managed to trap it (basically, he launched himself from a low branch and landed right next to the rabbit; poor thing didn’t have time to be surprised before Chanyeol had a hand wrapped around the tail).

Now, fire. Chanyeol racked his brain to remember; something about wood? If he remembered correctly, if you rubbed a… stick? With a rock? Or something, like that, you were supposed to get fire. However, just as he was about to try out his theory, a spark flew from his fingertip. 

Chanyeol stopped and stared. A minute passed, and then it happened again. Chanyeol could feel the fire spreading, slowly, from his core and toward his hands. Without meaning to, his hand caught on fire. And it burnt. It was the first time in his life that fire burnt him. Chanyeol flailed, scared, and a nearby tree set on fire. Before he could panic, the fire became colder, more stable in his grasp, and the burning simmered down to the degree he was used to. 

Some of the trees around him were on fire, but Chanyeol didn’t care. Having his fire back, after what seemed like forever to him, lifted his spirits considerably. 

Chanyeol started walking.


	2. Yixing

Yixing

Yixing lay down on the floor. He couldn’t see a ceiling or a sky, but he had a distinct feeling he was somewhere underground. The walls were made of stone and the floor was sandy and dirty. It was impossible to tell whether it was day or night, how long he had been there. He didn’t know what direction he was going in. 

At first, when he woke up, Yixing had called out to the rest of the boys. Lu Han, Jongdae, Minseok. Yifan, anyone. But there had been no response. At that moment, he had been in some sort of jungle. He had stayed there for a while, thinking that perhaps Lu Han would find a way to him, just like he always did when they were little. But when it became obvious that he was alone, Yixing walked. There were no signs of anyone else being there. He encountered numerous animals in the area, but when he had progressed into this place, the corners getting sharper and the lightning dimmer, animals gave way to fruits. Fruits he recognized, too. Apples, grapes, oranges. 

Yixing had managed to keep his emotions in check until the moment he tripped over a branch and scrapped his knee. The wound hadn’t healed. Not even when Yixing wet his thumb with saliva and rubbed at the slit vigorously. He panicked then, because without his power, Yixing wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive. There was food, yes, and the fruits were all juicy enough to keep him somewhat hydrated, but if he happened to encounter a large animal, he was dead meat.

Yixing tried not to think too much about the fact that he was alone. It didn’t do well to dwell on those things. Everytime Lu Han popped into his mind, he would push the thought away with all his might. He didn’t want to imagine what had happened to him. He didn’t appreciate the mental images his brain conjured. Yixing had an inkling feeling that one of his brothers was nearby; he just didn’t know who, or where. He discovered the feeling became stronger when he headed east, but he fell asleep at one point and when he woke up he was thrown off balance; the entire passage had changed.

He had fallen asleep in a cavern with rough walls and vines yet woke up in a hallway, smooth stone surrounding him. Yixing swallowed hard. That was the first time the place had changed up on him like that. He didn’t know what the hell was happening and he was scared witless. 

The singing in his blood kept him going; the bond that connected him to his brothers was pushing him forward. Perhaps, he’d find someone if he kept walking. So he did just that. 

He found Yifan. The older boy was unconscious, leaning against a wall. He seemed to be asleep. Yixing shook him until he woke up. The second his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Yifan threw his arms around him. Yixing clang to the blonde, feeling like a child; he was certainly crying like one. Yifan told him he couldn’t use his powers either.

“Not that it would have mattered, anyway,” Yifan grumbled, “I’m not sure flying would have gotten me out of here.”

Yixing agreed with him. They kept walking after that, albeit in silence. Yixing took a hold of Yifan’s hand and didn’t let go unless absolutely necessary. Some of the passages were trickier to get past, forcing them to climb and jump and slide. It wasn’t fun. They found a cave north from where Yifan had been; it was dry and warm, perfect to sleep in. The floor was mostly dirt. 

They made a fire, somehow. Yifan was the one who did it, while Yixing collected fruits from the outskirts of the cave. It was darker on that side of the ‘labyrinth’, as they had taken to call it, so Yixing had a hard time distinguishing what was in front of him. 

They ate in silence, neither in the mood to discuss the weather (humid, thank you very much). Yixing could feel some of the anxiety in his gut ebbing away in the presence of Yifan. He had been the leader of their unit back home, so it was only natural for Yixing to feel safe with him. Yixing had refused to sleep, scared that when he woke up Yifan would be gone, but the older man promised him that he wouldn’t leave him alone, and Yixing was out like a light instantly.

True to his word, Yifan was still there when he woke up, coaxing fruit into Yixing’s mouth. Maybe they didn’t know where they were or what was happening, but they had each other, and that’s all that mattered.


	3. Sehun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're confused.... then i fulfilled my dream

Sehun

Sehun ignored Lu Han’s nagging as much as he could. He didn’t have the time to deal with his hyung. He simply focused on packing as light as he could, three changes of clothes and socks, clean underwear and he was ready to go. 

Sehun looked around their small, shared compartment; Lu Han’s bed was opposite his, comforter on the floor because Lu Han didn’t know how to sleep without tossing around. Half of their belongings were scattered around their feet. Sehun knew he was going to miss it. But Earth seemed promising enough so Sehun wouldn’t feel so bad about leaving; they were told that humans had similar technology, albeit inferior, and their customs were also alike. 

Lu Han was still rambling in the background. Sehun was still ignoring him. Sehun didn’t even look up from his bag until Jongin poked his head in through the sliding doors and called him.

 

“What is it?” Sehun grumbled, looking around. His neighbours were giving him looks again and it bothered him.

“I managed to convince Junmyeon hyung to let us sit together in the pod,” Jongin gloated. He looked so proud of himself. “You were supposed to be sitting with Lu Han hyung, but now he’s sitting with Kyungsoo hyung.”

Despite himself, Sehun felt himself smiling. The trip to Earth was ten hours long and sitting in a closed compartment with Jongin seemed much more promising than being trapped with Lu Han. 

Jongin left only after Sehun had promised to meet him by the launcher. When Sehun walked back in his compartment, Lu Han was no longer chattering mindlessly but trying to fit a wooden box in his bulging bag.

“Hyung, I don’t think you’ll be able to take that,” he said. Lu Han stopped, looked at the box thoughtfully and then turned to Sehun. “Could you take this for me?”

Sehun grabbed the box and put it with the rest of his belongings wordlessly. Lu Han beamed and thanked him. 

Sehun noticed that their compartment looked a lot bigger with their things packed. Surprisingly, he found he was going to miss the place. Perhaps not the looks everyone gave him and Jongin when they were out, but definitely the memories he had of running around with his brothers when they were little. 

Lu Han walked ahead of him on their way to the launch pad, bright smile on his face as he waved goodbye to the people he walked past. Sehun trailed behind quietly, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, head down so he wouldn’t have to look at anyone. Sehun was honestly impressed by his hyung’s friendly ways; he’d always been like that, an easy-going smile always present on his lips, pleasantries at the ready for everyone. Maybe that’s why Sehun had sought him out in the first place, like moth drawn to a flame.

The launch pad was bustling with people, from technicians to family and friends waiting to save goodbye. Sehun spied his own brother standing near the ship, scanning something or another; Sehun got an impossibly brighter smile on his face as he raced towards him.

“Hyung!” Sehun tackled his brother to the ground in a big hug; it had been nearly a year since they last saw each other, after Seho had been promoted to Admiral and shipped off to the country side.

“Sehunnie,” Seho chuckled. Sehun had a dumb grin on his face and it made Seho smile too. “How’s my little brother doing? You’re going to Earth, are you excited?”

Sehun nodded. Seho sat up on the floor, Sehun following suit. At the far back of the room, Sehun could see Baekhyun and Chanyeol saying goodbye to their moms and siblings; Yura was crying as she hugged them both with all the might she had in her tiny body, but Baekbeom had the proudest grin on his face Sehun had seen.

All around them, his companions were saying their farewells, but Sehun didn’t feel like he was separating from his brother; he felt like he was getting closer to him, in a way. They would both be playing important roles in their world’s future, it was exhilarating.

“I know you’re gonna do great,” Seho said with finality, “so I’m not even gonna bother wishing you luck. But just so you know, if you ever need any help with anything, you send me a message and I’ll be there in an instant. I don’t care if I have to steal a pod to get there.”

Sehun could feel his eyes water, and Seho enveloped him in another hug when he started sniffling. His brother smelled like pine trees and rain. 

“Oh, what a cute sight,” someone cooed behind them. Sehun didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.

“Fuck off, Lu Han,” the young boy replied.

“Is that anyway of speaking to me in front of my mom?”

Sehun stiffened, turning around with dread only to find Lu Han standing there, alone and with an infuriating grin on his face. Seho was laughing quietly.

“I can’t believe this is the dork you used to have a crush on,” Seho giggles. Both Sehun and Lu Han turn to look at him, Sehun with horror and Lu Han with glee.

“A crush?” the blond asked, “On me?”

“I hate you so much,” Sehun moaned, but his brother simply smiled at him and ruffled his hair before standing up and walking away.

“Did Sehunnie used to have a crush on Lu ge?” Lu Han gushed, racing after Sehun as the younger boy tried to get away from him as fast as possible. 

“Leave me alone!” Sehun flailed, using a very confused looking Yifan as shield before ditching him and running towards Jongin.

Bad idea.

“Jonginnie!” Lu Han exclaimed happily, “Guess what I just found out!”

Jongin blinked, his eyes darting between the devil smiling at him and the very terrified boyfriend clinging to him. “Um, what?”

Lu Han got a maniac grin on his face, but just as he was about to ruin Sehun’s life, their supervisor called for all of them to board the ship. It was time to go. Lu Han trudged away with a pout and a mouthed ‘this ain’t over’ directed towards Sehun, but the boy was still relieved. 

Jongin took hold of his hand and squeezed as they moved to stand in a circle along his brothers. All twelve of them, nervous yet excited, standing as one.

“Make us proud, boys,” their supervisor said. Then, they boarded the ship.


	4. Minseok

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the delay, my internet crashed (again what a joke)

The long white corridor stretched further than Minseok could make out. Behind him, Sehun breathed erratically right against his neck, one of his hands clutching the back of Minseok’s robe. 

“I don’t see any of them,” Minseok whispered into the darkness. It had been exactly thirty-two seconds since the power had gone out in the building, thirty-two seconds since the alarm had started shrieking and thirty-two seconds since the door had slide open silently. The emergency lights were on, red and disturbing, and Minseok grabbed Sehun’s free hand in his own before taking a tentative step forward. 

Nothing happened, which Minseok took as a good sign. They crept along the halls in a rushed manner, Sehun gripping Minseok’s hand tightly. The now twenty-two year old had grown a lot since they had last seen each other back in their planet; he was no longer the same skinny kid scared of his own shadow. 

They knocked into a stocky figure when they rounded the corner; Minseok lifted his hand, ready to strike, but his breath got caught in his lungs when he saw who it was. He could recognize those lips anywhere.

“Jongdae?” he whispered, afraid to make much noise and alert the white coats of their whereabouts. Jongdae’s eyes were wide and terrified, but Minseok saw the ghost of a smile before he was nearly tackled to the ground by his best friend. 

“Hyung,” Jongdae whispered, almost as if he couldn’t believe he was there, “Sehun, are you ok?”

Sehun looked pale as a sheet but he hugged Jongdae with all his might either way; if Minseok wasn’t mistaken, one of them was hiccupping back sobs. Their reunion didn’t last long, however; the clipping of heels began resonating around the corner, sending them into frenzy. Minseok tugged them both backwards until their backs hit the wall and they were well hidden in the shadows.

The white cloak looked exactly like all the others did: white dress, red goggles and white lab coat. She noticed them almost right away, as expected. However, she didn’t move, simple stood a few feet away, eyes hidden under her mask.

“You go,” Minseok said to the two, “I’ll handle it.”

Jongdae looked at him with a seriousness Minseok had never seen on his face before and said: “You can’t confess to Junmyeon if you’re dead.”

Before Minseok could answer, Sehun let out a panicked whimper and tried to steer Jongdae away from the white cloak. Jongdae gave one last grave look in Minseok’s direction before following after Sehun and dashing down the hall. Like that, it was just Minseok and the white cloak. Perspiration rolled down his face but, surprisingly, froze midway and crashed to the ground. This was the first time since he got captured that his power worked.

With a renewed sense of determination, Minseok directed all his energy on blasting the white cloak. It worked… kind of. She slipped to the floor when she attempted to take a step forward; when Minseok looked down, he saw that the only thing he had managed to freeze were her shoes.

But it was something, so Minseok wasn’t discouraged. He didn’t stick around after that, taking off in the direction Jongdae and Sehun had mere minutes before. It was just his luck to run into the last (or first) person Minseok wanted to see.

“Minseok hyung!” Junmyeon exclaimed, yanking Minseok into a bone-crushing hug. Minseok, in the back of his mind, noticed that Junmyeon had gotten buffer over the years. His foremost though was, of course, I’m fucked. Quite the vocabulary on him.

“Ah, Junmyeon,” Minseok said back shakily. Hopefully, Junmyeon would think it was more out of happiness than nervousness.

Junmyeon looked like he’d gotten through some rough times; there was a deep cut on his left cheekbone and the skin on his knuckles seemed to be reddened. Other than that, however, he seemed completely fine, a bright smile etched on his face as he looked Minseok over. The older man suppressed a shiver at the intense gaze.

“Are you ok?” Minseok asked, suddenly remembering the circumstances. The alarm was still wailing, though it had become a dull ringing in his ears rather than the blaring nuisance it started out as. 

“Yeah, I blasted some white cloaks out of my way with water but…,” the water bender looked at his bruised knuckles with a sheepish grin, “I couldn’t do that to this huge guy I ran into.”

Minseok blinked. “Wait, your powers came back but then faltered?”

“Yes,” Junmyeon confirmed. 

“I,” whatever Minseok was about to say got cut off when ten white cloaks came into view. The adrenaline Minseok had felt before was gone now and he was left with a deep fear. He didn’t know where Jongdae and Sehun were, where the rest of them were, but he was certain that they were all surrounded and out-numbered.

Without a word, Minseok grabbed Junmyeon’s arm and took off down the first corridor he saw. They ran up and down, past halls and double doors and locked compartments, until they were breathless and hiding in what seemed to be the kitchen.

They saw a mop of red head whizz past the door’s tiny window, heavy footsteps pounding into the ground. They listened for any sign of someone coming inside, but there was nothing. 

“What now?” Junmyeon whispered right into his ear. Minseok nearly jumped out of his skin. 

“Well,” he swallowed, “I think I saw an exit once.”

Minseok blushed at the rising of Junmyeon’s eyebrows. He rushed to explain: “They were leading me into one of their examination rooms when a door opened down the hall. I was already going inside and they had me lying down on a wheeling bed but when I turned my head I saw sunlight.”

“Are you sure?” Junmyeon inquired with uncertainty.

“One hundred percent,” Minseok was completely confident, “I would never forget what sunlight looks like.”

“Alright,” Junmyeon said, “Let’s go there. Whoever we meet on the way, we’ll lead them.”

“What about the others?”

“We’ll send help as soon as we can.”


	5. Jongin

The streets of London were cramped. They always were, but today it seemed like every citizen in the city had decided they had somewhere to go. Jongin pushed his way through the crowd, bumping into others and getting cursed at for it.

The coat he wore, which he had borrowed from the back of a store, was billowing behind him in the wind; it made it harder for him to round corners with being spotted. If he wasn’t mistaken, he heard the shutter of a camera go off somewhere to his right. If only he could get to a rooftop.

Most buildings locked their roof’s access to avoid any incidents, instead separating a room or balcony for the smoke breaks if it was an office block. The apartment complex he lived at didn’t, but that was at least five blocks away and Jongin didn’t dare turn back.

Down the street he could see the old company he worked at as an intern; the roof was always accessible for anyone. Taking a sharp turn, he took the subway station as not-so-short shortcut, hoping the throng of people would help him loose whoever was chasing him.

Because Jongin was more than sure someone was after him; he’d known for weeks now, ever since he had made it out of the labyrinth and woke up disorientated and dehydrated in what he later found out was London, England. Earth; at least he was on Earth, as they had planned. He had no way of knowing where the others were, unfortunately. Somehow he had scored a spot in the toner company, mostly serving coffees and running errands, but it was enough to get him by while he figured out what to do. Back home he had been but a baby, barely nineteen years old, but here on Earth he was almost twenty one and considered an adult in every country. 

At first he had wanted to just wait around for one of his hyungs to find him (he found out there was a country called South Korea that used the same honorifics and language they did, which made Jongin wonder if perhaps his kind had come to Earth before,) but he quickly shook off the thought; that didn’t sound so heroic, and he didn’t want Sehun to be disappointed in him.

Jongin wondered where Sehun was, if he was safe; if he had made it out of the labyrinth or not, if he was with someone else. Jongin hoped he was with Lu Han; their hyung would die rather than let anything happen to Sehun.

The station was, as predicted, swarming with pedestrians; everyone was going home for lunch, so of course they were waiting for the subway. However, Jongin was only interested in getting through the other exit, so he pushed away whoever got in his way. Somewhere along the line he lost the coat, uncaring of the weather; sure, he’d be cold for a little while, but all he needed was to get to the rooftop and then he could travel somewhere sunny. He’d read about a place named Greece where it was always warm.

As he emerged from the underground, the feeling of being followed only intensified. The company was right in front of him, across the street. He could see the security guards sipping on coffees and talking among themselves. The lady who always walked her dog around the block was right on the clock. 

Jongin strode forward, turning his head from side to side to look over his shoulders as best as he could. His heart nearly pounded out of his chest with how hard it was beating; truth be told, he was terrified. He was all alone in a world he didn’t know; that was too much even for someone who was considered old enough to drink himself stupid in this planet.

He nodded shakily in greeting to the security guards. Technically, he was late to his shift, and they seemingly knew that because they both gave him pity looks. Without sparing them a second thought, Jongin raced down to the elevators and nearly broke the '10' button.

Thinking he was safe, Jongin let himself relax. But as soon as the doors opened he was face to face with a stranger. A stranger with a needle.

Jongin tried to dodge past him but the stranger was too fast and Jongin felt the distinctive pinch of the needle before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anyone's interested, here's the chronological order:  
> 1\. History au  
> 2\. Overdose au  
> 3\. Lucky One au  
> 4\. Mama au  
> 5\. Monster au


	6. 6. Lu Han

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest chapter ive written for this story, 1.3k!

Sehun kept changing the radio stations, clearly not satisfied with the choice of music the DJ’s had. The highway stretched far and long, as much as they had enjoyed Busan, they had a feeling Seoul was where they were supposed to go. Lu Han drove until the sun went down and pulled over to the side of the road for the night. Sehun jumped out of the car and stretched his long limbs, satisfied to walk around on his legs after hours of sitting.

Lu Han followed his lead, craning his neck from side to side to get rid of the stiffness while checking for wood; they would need it for the bonfire. They had some logs in the back of the trailer but those were for emergencies; Lu Han didn’t want to use up their savings.

“Hey, hyung,” Sehun called, “Why don’t you work on the fire while I check the map? I’ll try the radio in the meantime.”

Lu Han nodded, eyes trained on a tree not far from where they were. They had an axe in the car, so Lu Han retrieved it. After weeks of living in the woods of Busan with Sehun, he had become quite the master at chopping down trees. Once he had enough woods to create a decent fire, Lu Han trudged back to the trailer. Sehun had abandoned the radio and was instead working on the communicator he had found at the lab; apparently, the white coats had found their pods and stolen most of their instruments. It worked out for them in the end; all they had to do now was get the damn thing to work.

“Nothing?” Lu Han asked, dumping the log on the floor. Sehun shook his head, lips pursed in a pout.

Lu Han started a fire and immediately got to work on dinner; he produced some canned beans from the back of the trailer and some frozen meat, which he cooked over the fire. Sehun took out the plastic chairs and placed them next to the bonfire, then went back inside to look for the drinks. 

“Dinner’s ready,” Lu Han announced after a few minutes. To be honest, the meat would have been much better if they had an actual kitchen, but it wasn’t time to be picky. Sehun didn’t seem to mind his dinner was half burnt; he wolfed down his entire potion with a smile on his face. It made Lu Han feel a lot better.

Afterwards, they remained seated. This time it was Lu Han with the radio, trying every station for the signal he and Yifan had worked on while trapped at the lab. The idea was to send out a message to an ‘old friend’ and ask to catch up at a location of the messenger’s choice. It was a long shot, but it was worth to try. 

“Hyung, look,” Sehun said, pointing at the sky, “A shooting star.”

Lu Han turned his head just in time to see it fade away. He still wished to see Yixing again, though.

-

The next week they arrived at Seoul. Sehun suggested they found somewhere to stay first and then look for a job of some sort, so Lu Han drove around town for a while until they came across a motel cheap enough for their unemployed, otherworldly asses.

The clerk looked at them funny when they requested a room and said he only had a single, but Lu Han took it anyway. He was already used to sharing a bed on the trailer with Sehun; it wouldn’t make much of a difference to do it in a motel. Once settled in, Lu Han took it upon himself to go out to get a job. 

About fifteen minutes north from the hotel, Lu Han came across a store in need for a new cashier. It took some convincing, but in the end he scored the job and would start in a few days. 

Satisfied, Lu Han made his way back to the motel to tell Sehun the good news. As soon as he walked through the door, though, he knew something was wrong. Sehun’s coat was thrown on the floor and the radio was gone; Lu Han walked back outside with dread weighing down his heart.

“Excuse me,” he said to the clerk, “Have you seen the boy that was with me? The tall one?”

The clerk seemed to think about it for a long while, even if his only customers were Lu Han, Sehun and the old guy who smelled funny. “Yeah,” he said eventually, “I saw him run out of here about two minutes ago.”

Lu Han had been standing there waiting for him to answer for approximately a minute and a half. 

With a snarl and a nod, Lu Han was racing out the door. He looked to one side and the other, hoping to catch sight of his abnormally tall friend. There was a glimpse of a blond head turning the corner and Lu Han went after them, hoping it was Sehun. Lu Han nearly lost them, but once they were in a more secluded area he was certain it was the air bender. 

“Sehun!” he called out. Sehun turned around as if in a daze but smiled excitedly when he saw Lu Han.

“Hyung,” he said, “I think I heard something.”

With renewed hope, they ran up and down in search of what Sehun thought he heard. They went at it for hours, until Lu Han was tired and sweaty and worrying that Sehun was imagining things. 

“Hyung, look,” Sehun whispered, “Aren’t those… Baekhyun and Jongdae hyung?”

Sure enough, a few ways up the street he could see two familiar figures walking a dog. Sehun ran up to them eagerly, waving his arms around to catch their attention. Jongdae looked up first, hit Baekhyun in the arm and pointed towards where they were. Lu Han ran after Sehun when the other two took off in their direction. He wasn’t sure who he hugged first; it was pretty much a blur. The streetlamps exploded, lightning rumbled in the distance and the wind picked up. Lu Han simply hoped he wasn’t making anything float in the air; he wasn’t sure how they would explain that one. 

“Hey, Lu ge,” Baekhyun said, “Didn’t you hear me? Yixing hyung is with us.”

Lu Han probably got whiplash with how hard he spun his head around in search of his Yixing. “Not here,” Jongdae laughed, “He’s at the apartment.”

“You have an apartment,” Sehun said, “We get a cheap motel room.”

“It’s more of a studio,” Baekhyun corrected, “It was empty and the owner lets us do whatever we want as long as we don’t do anything to draw attention. The whole building is abandoned, in fact.”

“Can you please take me to Yixing?” Lu Han begged exasperatedly. 

“Sure,” those devils said in unison.

-

They agreed to give them some space, a few minutes of alone time before Sehun barged in and claimed Yixing’s lap as his pillow. Lu Han couldn’t feel his fingers as he walked through the door, past the small kitchen and into the living room. Yixing had his back to him, going over what seemed like a bunch of papers; the news, Lu Han realized.

“Xing?” he called softly. Yixing stiffened, turned around slowly, as if afraid. Finally, Lu Han could breath again; Yixing launched himself to him, arms and legs tangled with his until they fell on the floor and Lu Han nearly hit his head on the low table. 

Yixing was crying, his tears trailed down his face and landed on Lu Han’s neck. Lu Han himself felt like crying too, but no tears came out. All he could do was clutch Yixing as tight as humanly possible, as close as he could. It was the best hug he had ever had.


	7. Baekhyun

Baekhyun stood at the front of the table, nervously picking at his nails behind his back. Junmyeon, sweet kind Junmyeon, had stepped down from his spot as leader and asked Baekhyun to take over him after the disastrous incident at the lab. Yifan hadn’t objected, something which spoke loud and clear of their leadership skills. 

Directly in front of him sat Yifan. He didn’t stand up nor did he attempt to assort what little dominance he had left in their team to stop all the madness unfolding at the moment. And, of course, Junmyeon was no help. He was still shut in his room. Baekhyun wondered how Yifan was still there; after all, it was his best friend that had died. 

To his right was Yixing, hand clasped tightly with Lu Han. To his left, Chanyeol gave him a small, encouraging smile.

He cleared his throat loudly to get their attention; Minseok’s head snapped towards him, hands retreating from where they were clasped tightly around Kyungsoo’s throat in an attempt at strangling him. All around the room, discussions faded out, and then they were all looking at him, waiting for Baekhyun to talk.

“I know it’s been a rough couple of weeks,” he began, “But fighting each other isn’t the answer. Zitao…” Baekhyun faltered, thinking of the little kid that used to follow him around the base, tugging at his shirt sleeves to get his attention, “He died for a reason. He gave his life so he we could go home. Don’t make that be in vain.”

His little speech must have struck a nerve, because the ten boys around him all nodded and muttered their agreements. Yifan looked like he was about to pass out, but even he seemed to agree.

“Now,” Baekhyun continued, “I spoke to Yifan earlier; this is what we’re gonna do.”

-

Baekhyun was alone in the command room. The guards that had previously been seated in this room were lying on the ground, dead. Baekhyun hadn’t meant to kill them, but he freaked out when the bullets started wheezing past his head. He could see his team advancing slowly but surely through the lab, getting closer and closer to their ship; the humans seemed to have fixed it and it was now good as new. Baekhyun just wished they could get to it.

A flicker of movement to his right got his attention. In one of the monitors, the security cameras were transmitting the arrival of a human offense team; they had guns bigger than Baekhyun, and some nasty looking cages. They wouldn’t possibly expect to lock them up on those things… right?  
A familiar cry snapped him out of his thoughts. Somewhere in the building, Chanyeol was being beaten to death by more guards. Baekhyun wished he could be there, the adrenaline pumping through his blood like a drug; he knew Chanyeol was more than strong enough to take care of himself, but he also knew he was practically incapable of hurting others, even in self defence. Baekhyun watched in anguish as more guards showed up in every screen and cornered his brothers. When he caught sight of Kyungsoo on the ground, face covered in blood, Baekhyun made a decision. He stood up, grabbed one of the guards and stripped him of his clothes.

-

The hallway outside the command room was empty. The emergency lights were on, much like back at the lab. Baekhyun tried not to think about that; this wouldn’t end like the lab, not as long as Baekhyun was around to prevent it.

The weapon in his hand was heavy; he didn’t know the name of this gun, because back home they didn’t use guns. Soldiers had powers, like them, and those few that didn’t mostly stayed in the command centres to plan and strategize. Baekhyun wasn’t even sure he’d be able to fire it if needed.   
A soldier rounded the corner and started walking towards him, and Baekhyun nearly fainted before he remembered that he was disguised as a human soldier and he was safe. “Private,” the other man said; Baekhyun wondered what that meant, “We have one alien in custody. You are required in the holding cell to keep watch.”

“Yes, sir,” Baekhyun answered shakily. The soldier made to walk further down the hall and into the command room. “Wait! They’re all… dead. They’re dead.”

“What happened?” the soldier asked.

“A… an alien came in and killed them. I don’t know how. I was about to go in when I saw him so I hid. I didn’t have my gun with me.”

The soldier scolded him for not having his weapon at all times, and when he asked Baekhyun where the alien had gone, Baekhyun simply pointed to the opposite direction. It was a dark hall, the reason why he didn’t go that way. Once the soldier was out of sight, Baekhyun heaved a sigh of relief. He remembered what he had said, an alien in custody. His mind immediately went to Chanyeol and his heart squeezed at the thought. When he looked at the monitors in the command room, he was relieved for a second when he spotted Chanyeol in one of the gardens, running like a madman with his hands on fire. Baekhyun even allowed himself to giggle at the sight, but it died in his throat when he saw Lu Han trapped in a cage. A fucking cage; Baekhyun was immediately furious. Lu Han looked so tiny, crouched down to stop his head from hitting the roof. There were two guards keeping watch, both holding giant guns. 

After tracing a mental map so he didn’t get lost, Baekhyun walked out and began looking for him.

-

The lights exploded around the guards and the room went pitch black. Then, balls of light began to swirl around Baekhyun. He didn’t give the guards’ time to react before he began to shoot them in their direction. First, he made sure they weren’t able to see him. Then, he blinded them. And finally, he melted their eyeballs. This time it was on purpose.

“Baekhyun,” Lu Han sighed, eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he saw his outfit, “What are you wearing.”

“A disguise,” his voice came out muffled by his mask. He searched around the fallen guards’ clothes until he found the key to the cage and let his friend out. Lu Han stretched, groaned when the muscles in his back popped and locked. 

“Come on,” Baekhyun urged, handing Lu Han a guard’s uniform, “Put this on and let’s go.”

-

Yifan had the same idea Baekhyun did. Baekhyun would have killed him if Yifan hadn’t flown down from where he was perched on top of a car a few feet away from them. Together, the three of them ran towards the sound of battle. The shouts were becoming clearer with every step they took, and when Baekhyun rounded the corner and arrived at the parking lot where his brothers were being thrown into a car, hand cuffed and beaten. They arrived just in time to see Jongin land in Yixing’s lap thanks to an overly aggressive guard; Lu Han radiated homicidal rage at the sight of Yixing’s multiple cuts and bruises, especially on his face and neck. Sehun, even from afar, looked like he was ready to grab that guard and make him apologize to his boyfriend.

As they neared, one of the leaders barked at them for being late and tossed the keys at Baekhyun. The three of them shared a look before getting on the car. It was a tight fit, but soon the doors were closed and they were driving away. 

“Where are we supposed to take them?” Baekhyun muttered, checking the rear view mirrors with fear of being followed. Save for them, the road was empty.

“Just drive,” Yifan suggested, “We’ll figure something out.”

-

They drove for hours; the sun began to rise when Baekhyun pulled over at the entrance of an abandoned looking farmhouse. Two hours earlier, Jongdae had obviously begun to get restless, because he complained loudly from the back about how sore his ass was getting from seating down for so long. He was lucky it was just them, because Baekhyun wasn’t sure the human guards wouldn’t have ignored the comments. 

Baekhyun got out of the car and went to open the back door of the van. Jongin immediately launched himself on top of him, knocking him down to the ground as the others all piled out of the car and tried to immobilize the other boys. 

“Jongin!” he exclaimed, hands raised to avoid Jongin’s fists, “Shit, hold on! It’s me, Baekhyun!”

Jongin froze mid punch, cuffed hands poised above Baekhyun’s head to land a lethal blow. Baekhyun took off his mask and glared at Jongin. He could taste his own blood on his mouth.

“Crap, hyung, I’m so sorry, I…” Jongin stammered, “Guys! Guys, stop!”

Kyungsoo looked up from the headlock he had Lu Han in. He let go in an instant. How he had managed to get out of the handcuffs, Baekhyun didn’t know.

“Baek!” there were hands grasping at his clothes, twisting him around to check for injuries. Chanyeol was fussier than his own mother.

“I’m fine,” he assured his best friend.

“How did you get out?” Jongdae asked. The boy looked tired but still happy to see him alive and well.

“I, uh, killed some guards. Then took a uniform and pretended to be one of them. After getting Lu Han and Yifan hyungs we went outside where you were being loaded into the van. The boss tossed me the keys and that was it.”

“Really? That easy?” Sehun seemed sceptical. But really, what else could have happened?

“So what do we do now?” Yixing asked, kicking at the ground. Lu Han had stopped nursing his face but he still had an iron grip on his boyfriend. It was cute.

“We stay in this farmhouse. Did any of you succeed?” Baekhyun asked hopefully. Chanyeol gasped and dug around his pockets then pulled out an old radio from their pod. It looked a little worn but nothing they couldn’t fix.

“Is this good?” he asked shyly, waving it around for them to see. Minseok, their resident technician, nodded happily. Chanyeol beamed and his smile only widened when Baekhyun ruffled his hair (he had to stand on his tippy toes to reach his head) and told him he’d done a good job.

“Let’s go inside then,” Lu Han said, already making a bee line for the farmhouse, “I’m tired.”


	8. 8. Zitao

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is really short i know i'm so sorry but history!au and overdose!au are kind of hard to write... next is yifan and his chapter is about the maze too but i think it will be longer than this

The first few hours of travel were uneventful. Zitao reclined his head on his head rest and let himself be lulled to sleep by the soft hum of the engines, but was woken by Yifan’s snoring. When Zitao looked out the window he noticed they were already halfway there. The pods were still interconnected to each other, and the monitors in front of him showed what the other boys were doing. Minseok and Jongdae were both asleep; Lu Han and Kyungsoo were going over their human textbooks; Jongin and Sehun were playing some stupid game; Baekhyun and Chanyeol were singing obnoxiously off key; and Yixing and Junmyeon were talking to each other in what appeared to be excited whispers. Zitao allowed himself to smile at the sight of his brothers.

Zitao wondered what it’d be like on Earth; ever since they were assigned with the task, almost one human year ago, they had all began doing research on human costumes. It was true they had some similar aspects, aged at the same speed and looked the same. But humans didn’t have powers, and they were technologically inferior by a long shot. There was a country on Earth, called Korea, which used their same language. Zitao read they were currently going through some conflicts of some sort; he didn’t get it. It wasn’t like his planet didn’t have wars; in fact, territorial fights broke out frequently between them, and they had an army full of Gifted for that same reason. But he never understood conflicts of any kind. 

Just then, he felt his pod shake. Yifan woke up immediately and looked around in alarm, and Zitao saw him open his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by Junmyeon’s voice through the intercom. 

“We hit a meteorite,” he said calmly, trying to soothe the others’ agitated states. Zitao sighed in relief, thinking it was over. But then it happened again, and again. Yifan lunched for the control pad when they felt the pods disconnect and attempted to stabilize their ship, but more meteorites continued to hit them from every direction. 

Zitao whimpered, turning his head to look out the window; he saw they were actually caught in a meteorite shower. 

“Great,” Yifan grumbled, fingers flying all over the controls. Over the intercom, Zitao could see Baekhyun do the same with Chanyeol clutching at his shirt. Junmyeon shouted something, instructions most likely, but Zitao didn’t hear it because just then another rock crashed into their side and the lights went out.

“Ge?” Zitao whispered. A rough hand grabbed his and linked their fingers. Zitao waited for the emergency lights to turn on, and then looked out the window again. There were still many meteorites flying past them, but he couldn’t see any other ships. “I don’t see the others.”

“Me neither,” Yifan murmured back. Zitao couldn’t breathe properly at the moment, but he managed to squeeze Yifan’s hand in search of reassurance. Just then another meteorite crashed into their pod and Zitao’s head hit the wall.

-

The next time Zitao regained consciousness he was alone. He was still inside the pod, which had cracked open at the top, and the monitors were all pitch black. When he turned his head to the side he felt a throbbing pain at the back of his skull; he reached back and his hand came back soaked in blood. Zitao whimpered; he hated blood.

There wasn’t any time to wonder where Yifan was or to even think about looking for him. The first thing they were instructed to do in case of an emergency is to assess your resources, and Zitao did just that. After pulling himself out of the pod and making sure his head isn’t bleeding anymore, he sets about to take in his surroundings. He can see a sort of building not far from where he is, metal walls going far and wide, further than he can see. Zitao isn’t the most-versed in human constructions, so he figures he isn’t one to judge. 

He suddenly remembers the first aid kit in the pod and excitedly looks for it, fishing it out from under his seat with little effort. Inside he finds gauze and antiseptic, which he uses to clean the wound in the back of his head, and then grabs his lighter backpack and begins trudging in the direction of the big building.

-

It turns out, it isn’t a building. It’s a maze, and Zitao belatedly realizes he’s trapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im kokoshook


	9. Yifan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is actually longer than i expected... weird

Yifan jolts awake when the ground starts to shake. For a fleeting moment, with one foot still in the reigns of unconsciousness, he thinks it’s Kyungsoo having a nightmare and is about to get up and stride across the room to where Junmyeon is to wake him up, already anticipating his roommate’s scowl when he tells him to go soothe his boyfriend, but he opens his eyes and, instead of being met with the familiar white ceiling, moonlight casting through the window to the right of his bed, he finds himself in the oppressive darkness of the maze, cool stone under and around him. Yifan lets out a breath, one filled with more resignation than sadness as he raises himself up to look around.

Yixing is right where he was when they went to sleep, curled up three feet from him, black hair falling messily over his eyes. Yifan doesn’t want to interrupt his sleep, knows he needs it, but his curiosity wins him over and he crawls over, shaking the younger boy awake. 

“Wha-” Yixing mumbles confusedly. Yifan has to chuckle at his dumbfounded expression, eyes darting around. 

“There was an earthquake,” Yifan explains to him. Yixing gets even more confused at that. 

“There’s never been an earthquake here before,” the younger boy mumbles. Yifan nods his head; the most interesting thing about the maze so far is how it changes from time to time. “Should we check it out?”

They get up quickly, and Yifan only has time to run a tired hand through his hair a few times before Yixing is tugging him out of the cave they took up refuge in and into the maze. The smoot stone walls seem steeper than they were the night before, Yifan notices. It’s also warmer now, and Yifan enjoys the sensation for a second until the earth shakes again. 

This time, the ground cracks and Yifan scrambles to grab hold of a jutting edge of rock, hanging on for dear life as he shouts to Yixing to do the same. There’s rubble falling from the top of the walls, the first time Yifan considers there’s something above them, and he has to shield his eyes with a hand to avoid losing an eye. However, it’s all over before any serious harm is done, and Yifan blinks his eyes open and squints to see through all the dust, looking for Yixing.

“Ge?” he hears him call out. Yifan doesn’t let how far away it sounds get to him. 

“I’m here!” he answers back. A coughing fit takes over him when he accidentally inhales some of the dust, his lungs screaming, and Yifan has to double over when it gets too much, eyes watering. Once it finally subsides, the dust has cleared and Yifan gasps. 

He’s standing in one end of a giant chasm, nearly at the edge and Yixing is in the other. They’re separated by at least one hundred feet, and Yifan quickly dismisses the idea of trying to climb down to meet in the middle when he looks down and realizes the bottom is too far away for him to see. 

“Stay right there,” he shouts to Yixing. He can barely make out his form, but he can see him nod his head. Yifan thinks hard, searching for a solution, but the only thing that comes to mind involves staying away from Yixing, and that’s not something he wants.

But he knows it’s the only way, so he takes in a deep breath, this one thankfully all oxygen and no dust, and calls out to Yixing. “We’re going to walk,” he says loudly, “In that direction. No matter what, we need to stay in each other’s line of sight, alright?”

He gets the confirmation right away and they start moving in the same direction, to their right. It’s unnerving to be alone again, even if Yixing is relatively close by, because he recalls when he was all alone and the hair in his arms rises up in a shiver when the maze begins to get darker and it gets harder to see Yixing’s form at the other side of the gap. Almost as if the other boy wasn’t there.

After what feels like days later, though he has no way to know how much time has really gone by, Yifan sees a couple of feet away, a ray of sunlight. It’s the first time in a long time he does, and a bubble of excitement buzzes in his stomach and chest. Yixing can see it too, obviously, because he’s yelling something that Yifan can’t quite catch.

“Slow down,” he shouts.

“I said,” Yixing exclaims, “That the exit is on your side. Not mine.” There’s silence in the maze when Yifan realizes he’s right, and he doesn’t need to hear him to know what he’s about to say. “You have to go on without me.”

Yifan fights back the protests rising in his throat and instead meets eyes with Yixing; he’s looking at him with so much determination in his eyes, and only a hint of sadness as he makes shooing motions at him. Yifan somehow waves goodbye at him, his heart clenching inside his chest and moves forward, stepping out into the sunlight.

-

He finds himself standing in the rooftop of a building. The sun is glaring down on the world, so bright it reminds him of the sun in Chanyeol’s home city, and Yifan struggles to see in front of him. There’s a shaded area, protected from the sun by a water tank, and Yifan moves there to get some reprieve.

He can see a city far from where he is, skyscrapers grazing the clouds. Yifan wonders if being out of the maze means his powers are back. He decides not to try his luck with flying off the building itself and instead climbs up to the top of the water tank to jump off from there. He’s taken back to his training days, taking advantage of the tiny gusts of wind Sehun managed to create to use as a boost, launching himself from tops of trees and always relying on Lu Han to keep him afloat if something went wrong. With that in mind, he waits for the breeze to pick up a notch and jumps.

He lands on the ground with a cry, sharp pain shooting up his leg. His ankle is twisted awfully, and Yifan regrets jumping off from such height even if it was safer than trying the rooftop itself; he’s very glad he didn’t, in fact. The jacket he’s been wearing since leaving their planet is dirty and thorn, so he shrugs it off and wraps it around his wounded ankle. Its enough to lessen the pain if only a little, just enough so that Yifan can apply minor pressure on it and walk. 

He takes one last look at the maze entrance; he can’t see much inside, just the walls and if he squints he can make out the chasm that split him and Yixing up. There’s no sign of his friend, unfortunately, and Yifan figures he shouldn’t waste his time trying to call for him; he’s probably gone already, moved on to find another way out.

There is an emergency staircase on one side of the building leading down to the ground. He’s not too far up, and Yifan begins his descend down with a groan of pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all i am d e a d with the war chill and the eve are forever my jams now  
> second i was thinking... if you guys are interested (and i know people are lurking i can see the hits) please let me know if after im done with the twelve chapters i should add a few extra stories?? like, say, sehun's crush on lu han or how layhan got together or some chanbaek maybe? idk  
> and finally, if you're enjoying this story, please pretty please give me kudos!! if you feel like it you can also leave a comment, i would really appreciate the feedback ^^


	10. Jongdae

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh, this one is a little boring at first - mostly it's word vomit, but at the end is where monster au starts (baekhyun was the first half of it, if you didn't notice)

“10,000 wons for some fruit?” Jongdae mutters, eyeing the receipt with disbelief. His footsteps echo in the silence of the streets as he paces, taking on a sprint to get back to the studio soon; the weather is getting colder and he doesn’t want the skies to open up and start snowing on him.

_Baekhyun better appreciate these damn strawberries,_ he thinks to himself. The apartment they’re living in is just a few blocks away from where he is - the building visible between skyscrapers.

A sudden whine snaps Jongdae out of his thoughts. He stops in his tracks and looks left to right, but since he doesn’t see anything he shrugs it off and continues walking. Two more steps and he hears it again; this time he pinpoints the sound coming from the alleyway to his left and squints to see better.

There, hidden between a dumpster and the brick wall of a building, is a fluffy, dirtied white dog.

“No,” Jongdae says, more to himself than the dog. “No, no, no. I can’t take you– don’t, don’t look at me like that; don’t give me those eyes… Damn it.”

-

“Jongdae, why is there a dog in our apartment?”

“More importantly, why are you taking a bath with it?”

Jongdae gives them a sheepish smile, rubbing shampoo behind the dog’s ears. The bathroom floor is a mess of soapsuds and water, courtesy of his new friend shaking it all off every five minutes. Jongdae hasn’t even had time to wash his own hair, and God knows he needs it.

“I couldn’t just leave him!” he whines, pulling the dog to his chest and cuddling it. Honestly, the canine is a little too big for it to work out, but he’s cute and Yixing loves cute things, so it’s worth a shot.

“How are we supposed to feed him?” Yixing sighs, avoiding looking at either of them. “We can barely afford to feed ourselves, Dae.”

“I know,” Jongdae pouts. “I’ll do it! He can have some of my portions! I’ll take on extra shifts at the store!”

“You’re already working yourself to death,” Baekhyun points out. Jongdae falters but the lightbulb goes off right away. “There’s an extra shift on Sundays! My boss wants to open every day of the week for more income and Yoongi can’t work then.”

Neither of his friends look too convinced, but then the dog whines and Jongdae can see Baekhyun’s willpower crumble as he waddles closer to rub behind his ear. Yixing caves in too after both of his dongsaengs turn to him with identical pleading looks and he drags a hand down his tired face with a sigh.

“Fine,” he grumbles. “But you have to take him out for a walk after every meal and you have to make sure he doesn’t break anything, got it?”

Jongdae shouts in glee, nodding along to every instruction and promising him he’ll do his absolute best.

-

If Jongdae were to be grateful for anything that’s happened to him ever since his assignment to this mission, he supposes it would be having this job. Of course, if Baekhyun finds out he thinks this way, he’d probably pout and steal Yixing away for hours until Jongdae came around begging for forgiveness.

However, this job is what saved him. After escaping the godforsaken lab, after everything he’s been through, working for Mr. Jang in his flower shop has been keeping Jongdae sane. It’s not a big business, and he has to share the shifts with that grumpy college kid Yoongi, but every day feels lighter when he walks through the door and finds himself surrounded by all the pretty flowers Mr. Jang tends to himself in his yard.

The tinkling of the bell at the entrance distracts Jongdae from browsing through the day’s orders and he looks up to find Yixing looking around in a daze; his friends hardly ever come by the store, occupied with their own jobs, so this is definitely a surprise.

“Why is everything different?” Yixing asks, approaching the counter. Jongdae glances at the shelves – it’s true that they moved some stuff around. He shrugs, saying, “Mr. Jang wanted a change of scenery. What’s up?”

“Your dog destroyed a throw pillow,” Yixing informed him nonchalantly, playing with a rose on the counter. “I got a new one before the landlord noticed, but you owe me 5,000 wons.”

Jongdae groans, digging through his back pocket and procuring a bill. “Wanna hang out? My shift is almost over,” he offers. Yoongi had texted him a few minutes earlier to let him know he’s on his way, and considering his college was a few blocks away, he should be here any second.

Yixing spent the next ten minutes browsing through the store, sniffing all the flowers and asking Jongdae about them, what their meaning is and their cost. Jongdae feels endeared by his curiousness, and he responded to all his questions with a smile on his face.

When Yoongi walks in, hoodie pulled over his head and backpack slung over one shoulder, Jongdae tugs Yixing out with a final wave at his co-worker and a reminder to ship out those emergency flowers for Mr. Lee – the man is always getting in trouble with his wife, and they are his go-to solution to his problems.

“Where do you want to go?” Yixing asks him. Were they back home in their planet, he’d probably be swinging their hands together, but Jongdae has had to learn the hard way that Earth, especially South Korea, wasn’t very open to same sex individuals being touchy-feely with each other.

“Sehun is off the clock now,” Jongdae hummed, “We could go see him.”

Having Sehun and Lu Han join in definitely changed their dynamics. It didn’t just change their sleeping arrangement, with Lu Han suffocating Yixing during the night instead of Baekhyun, and Jongdae having to put up with Sehun’s flailing limbs – it also meant more down time, with two more steady incomes. Jongdae no longer has to stay cooped up in the store until late hours, looking out for grieving clients; there’s no need for Baekhyun to work the night shift in at the fast food joint; and Yixing doesn’t have to work fifteen hours every day at that 7-11 down the road from their studio.

Together they head for the bookstore Sehun had scored a job in, a small local with shelves upon shelves of books and encyclopaedias and catalogues. And sitting behind counter in the middle is Sehun, nose pressed against a history book; recently he’s become fascinated with Earth, and his collection of books at the studio ranged from dinosaurs to religion to politics.

“Hyungs,” Sehun greets them. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to take you out,” Jongdae informs him happily. “Want to get lunch with us?”

Sehun agrees easily enough, and turns out; they’re just in time for his lunch break so they waste no time walking out of the store in direction of the nice diner Baekhyun keeps babbling about to them.

Except they never make it.

Not two steps away from the bookstore, a black van pulls up in front of them and before any of them can react, men with guns and masks over their heads are pouring out and pushing them in, screaming all together at once in a way it makes it impossible for them to understand.

Jongdae lands on the floor of the car with a sharp cry, and almost immediately, one of the men picks Sehun up and throws him in a similar fashion to him. The older boy can barely make out Yixing shouting profanities and hitting someone in the face before their kidnappers knock him out. Sehun receives a kick in the head and is out like a light in an instant, and Jongdae can’t even finish the thought that he’s next before he blacks out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only two more chapters to go! let me know what you think of this story *.*


	11. Kyungsoo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think i should put a tw for torture so watch out for that

There are two cracks in the ceiling. One has been there since Kyungsoo was first brought in, after one of the medics assigned him to the number 12 and branded him with the hideous collar around his neck he’s been itching to take off since.

The other is courtesy of Chanyeol and his tendency to throw things when he’s upset – the same can be said for the dent on the wall a few doors down in the examination room. Kyungsoo wasn’t there when it happened, but he’s heard it had something to do with a white coat trying to inject Chanyeol with the blue liquid for the first time.

Kyungsoo stares at those two cracks with boredom, tracing their patterns over and over with tired eyes. A white coat – a nurse, from what he’s gathered – came in to check on him a few hours prior, but had left after he refused to eat. He knows what they put in the food and Kyungsoo isn’t quite hungry enough to let him be drugged. He’s been alone ever since, and he wonders idly if the white coats will let any of his roommates back anytime soon. Sehun’s been gone for days now, and Kyungsoo isn’t sure it’s just his imagination or if the screams he’s hearing at night are really his.

The door to his confinements slides open with a hiss and Kyungsoo tries not to flinch when the doctor comes in. Kyungsoo has learned to associate his stern face with blue liquid and pain – lots of pain. A nurse enters behind him and she helps Kyungsoo into a wheelchair, the boy too weak to even properly sit up in bed, let alone walk. The doctor gives him a grim look as he’s rolled away, perhaps even with pity, but Kyungsoo is too tired to think about it.

The halls are always the same, white walls and ceramic floor, devoid of anything distinctive to differentiate the areas other than the rooms they pass by; a few minutes into their route, Kyungsoo has the chance to peer through a large window and sees Baekhyun strapped to a bed, gaze locked somewhere ahead of him as another doctor presses a needle into his skin. Kyungsoo diverts his eyes as soon as the convulsions start.

Kyungsoo is more than familiar with the room he’s taken to. The stretcher bed with the leather straps that cut into his skin, the machine that beeps in rhythm with his heartbeats, the monitors that show the status of his vital signs and a small iron table with a platter, holding a syringe a small vial filled with the blue liquid that’s become Kyungsoo’s worst nightmare.

He doesn’t protest or fight as they lay him down on the stretcher, tie him down and hook him up to the heart monitor – he’s long stopped resisting. There’s no use. Much like Kyungsoo saw Baekhyun doing earlier; he focuses his eyes on the far wall and tries to steady his breathing. The monitors are picking up on his rising heartbeat and he knows their methods of bringing him down to their preferred state aren’t too pleasurable.

The last thing Kyungsoo processes before the needle is plunged into his skin is the sound of the door shutting close. And there’s darkness, a minimal second of peace, and then the most excruciating pain Kyungsoo’s ever felt.

Even in comparison to all the other times he’s been brought in and injected, this feels worse. His blood is on fire, coursing through his veins all over his body and setting him alight. His lungs burn with the effort to breathe, and he guesses he’s screaming if the soreness in his throat is any indication. 

His head starts pounding right away, like his brain is trying to smash through his skull and run away – his heart seems to be in the same agenda, hammering against his ribs. Kyungsoo can feel every little thing around him too, all sounds magnified; at this point the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings could be enough to deafen him.

The real torture doesn’t start until later. Kyungsoo didn’t realize – he never really does – he’d shut his eyes on purpose until one of the nurses pries them open. He’s sitting upright, if only because he’s on a chair and not on the stretcher as he believed, and the doctor is sitting in front of him. Kyungsoo knows what’s about to happen know, but it still doesn’t prepare him for the shock – quite literally.

There’s electricity coursing through his body, starting from the bottom of his feet all the way to his head. Kyungsoo screams, throwing his head back but the shout doesn’t last long; pretty soon he’s gritting his teeth to stop himself from making so much noise. 

“Number 12,” the doctor says impassively, like they are long friends and he’s not torturing him right now. “Where do you come from?”

Kyungsoo remains quiet. He’d made it very clear during their first session that he’d die before telling them anything. The doctor sighs, almost as if he really regrets the situation, and snaps his fingers. Instead of electricity, a nurse approaches him and presses something to his skin. Kyungsoo can’t turn his head down to see what it is, but there’s no doubt in his mind that it’s something closely related to fire (maybe it is). It burns, though not like when they shocked him and certainly not as bad as his blood the first minutes of the session.

“You know,” the doctor drawls, “things would be a lot simpler if you just let go – only one of you has to. An answer from any of you, and you’re all free of us.”

Kyungsoo has heard the promises before; but he doesn’t let them fool him. A word, a coordinate, even the slightest hint of their planet would put their families and friends in unspeakable danger. So Kyungsoo sits there, mouth sealed shut when he’s not screaming his lungs out, and lets them do whatever they want to him. They electrocute him, they burn and cut him, anything and everything that falls just short of killing him and continue to ask him questions he doesn’t answer in between.

After what feels like hours later Kyungsoo is taken back to his room. He’s beaten, groggy and so very tired; he almost misses the second person inside if it weren’t because as soon as the nurse left he was carefully enveloped in someone’s arms. There are warm lips being pressed to his temple, a deep voice whispering something to him but Kyungsoo only registers wide, childlike eyes looking at him in concern before he blacks out.


	12. Junmyeon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly can't write fight scenes sorry

Junmyeon stands in a corner of the quad, hidden beneath the shadows casted by the buildings around him and the few trees that managed to grow between cracks in the asphalt. His heart hammers against his chest as he tries to make out what’s happening before him.

It wasn’t his idea to come here – to return to the place Zitao died, where they all almost died. But Baekhyun’s right, this is where their ship is and right now that’s the best chance they have to go home. Last time things hadn’t gone the way they’d planned; an ambush had divided their team and drove them away from their ship instead of closer. But this time, they are more prepared, not to mention they can expect their families to arrive anytime soon.

Somehow Minseok had made the radio work. Junmyeon can still remember the awestruck look on his brothers when the device started cracking with static and an unfamiliar voice asked for identification. The farmhouse was immediately alive with shouts from all eleven of them, until Baekhyun hushed them and communicated with the other person long enough to figure out it was actually Head of Communications Im Yoona.

Yoona got them in contact with Commander Lee, one of the higher ups from their fleet, and he rounded up a rescue team in under a day, with the promise of arrival within two weeks. Commander Lee then made some difficult questions regarding their situation and their mission, and was shocked to hear that they’d been missing and scattered for over fifty Earth years. He also wasn’t too happy to hear they’d lost a member, but promised to have someone prepare a memorial for Zitao.

If there was one thing that put a damp in their mood was the knowledge that the rescue team could not actually take them on their ship, but rather the boys would have to recover their own and the rescue team would help them fix it and then hook it up to their ship so they could leave.

And that’s why Junmyeon is currently standing in what he supposes used to be a training track. He’s exhausted and there’s a pretty nasty gash on his torso, but he knows he can’t stay hidden for long. If he’s not mistaken, he can see Lu Han running at the other end of the quad in direction of one of the surrounding buildings, a human gun in hand. Junmyeon takes a shuddering breath and ventures out into the open, looking around carefully.

There’s a unbearable alarm ringing, worse than the one when they escaped the lab – this one sounds like the wailing of a siren back home, the kind that you heard when you had a connection to the sea and could not be fooled by them. Junmyeon finds himself smiling, recalling how many times he had to keep his brothers away from the sirens perched on rocky cliffs when they went out to the beach.

Junmyeon suddenly lands on the ground, a heavy body having knocked against him. He tries to get up, but whoever tackled him is too strong and next thing he knows, he’s being strangled. Junmyeon struggles, raises his arms and hits his attacker repeatedly, but his movements become sluggish and he’s aware he’s losing consciousness.

And then his attacker is gone. Junmyeon blinks his eyes, tries to see through the dark spots filling his vision as he breathes in delicious oxygen and looks around. Minseok is there, hands gripping a soldier as he freezes the culprit and Junmyeon has to avert his gaze when the body shatters to pieces. Minseok sits back on his haunches, panting and staring at the remains of a human life. No matter all the things the humans have done to their team, none of them is comfortable with killing.

“Hyung,” Junmyeon whispers. Minseok snaps his head up and looks for Junmyeon. The younger boy opens his mouth to say something – to thank him or maybe offer some comfort – but his lips are suddenly pressed to Minseok and Junmyeon has to do his best not to swallow his own tongue.

Minseok kisses him with urgency, both hands gripping the sides of his face. Junmyeon isn’t sure what to do, so he settles for holding on to one of Minseok’s arms as he lets his hyung pepper his face with kisses, demanding to know why Junmyeon hadn’t been more careful. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” Minseok says fiercely, staring into Junmyeon’s eyes. Junmyeon tries to say something but Minseok doesn’t let him, kissing him again, gentler this time. This kiss is so sweet Junmyeon feels his insides twisting up in pleasure.

“Come on,” Minseok encourages him, picking Junmyeon off the ground. They stagger away together and in the direction of the sounds of battler.

-

They find Sehun brewing up a storm that sends thirty or so soldiers flying away. His power is impressing, considered how young he is, but he seems to be at peace, hair ruffled from the intensity of the wind, hands tucked into the pockets of his pants and a small smile on his face.

He stands calmly as the tornado rages around him, wiping away everything on its path. Junmyeon can’t believe this is the same kid who used the wind to knock Yifan off course when they were training just to annoy his hyung.

The maknae looks way too pleased as he uses the wind to carry him to the other end of the ground, where Chanyeol is releasing his phoenix.

The phoenix is a hidden ability Junmyeon has only seen a few times before. Their trainers back home were delighted when Chanyeol first conjured it – it had been an accident, in all honesty, and the fire wielder had to learn to control his emotions in order to control the creature. After the incident in the inner yard, which involved a couple singed trees and Chanyeol sheepishly sitting in the middle of the disaster as all the other boys awed, he was forbidden to use it unless absolutely necessary. Well, this certainly counts as necessary.

The phoenix itself is magnificent, with a black and red body, ruffled wings and sharp claws that could rip anything apart with a slice. The phoenix releases a loud shriek, enough to scare the soldiers in the area to run for cover, but it doesn’t stop there; it flies in an arc over the grounds, snapping at those it recognizes as the enemy from its connection to Chanyeol and burning a circle on the ground in the meantime.

Surprisingly, it isn’t the phoenix that captures Junmyeon’s attention, but Chanyeol. The younger boy is standing rigid, his body radiating fire; his hair is literally on fire, and even from afar Junmyeon can see his eyes have gone bright red from the flames inside him. The former leader wonders if he’s gonna have to step in at some point, but everything seems under control so he allows Minseok to tug him away.

Clouds are suddenly covering the otherwise black sky. Junmyeon knows what’s coming, but it still doesn’t prepare him for the explosion of a thunderstorm right over his head. He can’t quite see where Jongdae is, but he knows he’s got to be within thirty meters of him – for now all he needs is for the younger boy to clear the path from them.

Soldiers are coming out of nowhere, reproducing like rats. Junmyeon and Minseok are surrounded, despite their combined efforts – Junmyeon creates gushes of water out of thin air, which Minseok freezes and hurls at the soldiers. The phoenix continues to soar above them, its talons snatching soldiers off the ground. Sehun’s tornado has dwindled down to something more manageable and now serves for Yifan to fly around the courtyard, stealing guns and punching soldiers in the face.

Jongdae is visible now – he’s perched atop a tree, his hair standing up like he’d been electrocuted and eyes distant as he directs the rays of lightning to strike the ground in different locations, never quite killing anyone but close enough to disperse the troops.

Jongin is popping in and out of existence, surprising soldiers and knocking them out before moving on.

The ground shakes suddenly. Junmyeon loses his balance and only stays on his feet because Minseok grips him tightly by the arm (the touch totally does not send tingles down Junmyeon’s spine, it does not). A crack appears between Chanyeol and the soldiers, effectively keeping him safe and away from their attacks; when he’s using the phoenix, he’s practically defenceless.

“Duck!”

Junmyeon doesn’t even think about it; he hits the ground immediately and gets grass on his mouth, but at least he avoids the truck hurling over his head and slamming into a troop of soldiers. To his left, he hears Lu Han shout, “Score!”

“Chanyeol!”

The sudden shout rips every bit of pride Junmyeon had been feeling until now and replaces it with dread. He sees Baekhyun running from a building entrance and jumping over the gap on the ground, barely managing to land on the other end and sliding to a stop next to his friend’s unmoving body. Chanyeol is on the ground, the phoenix is gone and Junmyeon absolutely hates the look of despair in Baekhyun’s face as he shakes his body.

“Yifan!” Minseok yells, catching the attention of a flabbergasted flier; Yifan almost lands on his face from shock but recovers quickly. “Go get Yixing, now!”

Their healer isn’t fit for battle - he never trained. Healers are rare, and their trainers thought it was better if he fulfilled his power to the fullest. That’s why they put him on the roof of a building, where Yifan flies to and fetches their friend. Yixing immediately crouches next to Chanyeol and takes one of his hands in his own, the other pushing his hair out of his forehead.

Junmyeon doesn’t have time to see what happens next because the soldiers keep coming from them. Jongin isn’t merciful, and he snaps the neck of the man that shot Chanyeol. Still shocked and more than a little terrified, they all fight harder than they were before, careful to keep the troopers away from Chanyeol, a frantic Baekhyun urging Yixing to do something, anything.

Kyungsoo keeps opening the ground under unsuspecting soldiers, never to be seen again. Jongdae hits a lamp post and it sends sparks flying over them. This time it’s Yifan the one picking soldiers off the ground and tossing them far away; Junmyeon himself makes sure to drown a few before he goes back to working with Minseok, Lu Han throwing all sorts of things around and hitting anyone he can.

Baekhyun is screaming – a raw, anguished cry and suddenly the world explode in light. Junmyeon can feel his eyes burning behind his eyelids, cowering on the ground as he covers his face with his hands in an attempt not to go blind. Around him he can hear people screaming, and then there’s quiet.

The courtyard is dark once more. The soldiers are dead, and Junmyeon is close enough to a few to see their eyeballs have melted. Baekhyun is weeping silently, clutching Chanyeol to his chest as Yixing combs his hair.

What Junmyeon felt when Zitao died is present again. He can’t bring himself to close the gap between himself and his brothers, completely petrified as he watches Jongdae and Kyungsoo slowly make his way to Chanyeol, Yifan grabbing the back of their shirts and flying them across the opening. Junmyeon has to look away when Jongdae lands on his knees and Kyungsoo all but collapses.

Minseok is saying something to him, but Junmyeon is mute. All he can see is Chanyeol’s toothy smile whenever he needed Junmyeon’s permission to do something, all he can hear is his loud laughter carrying down the halls of their dorm. There’s a hollow feeling in his chest, like his heart’s been ripped out and stomped on.

Eventually Jongin grabs his arm and teleports them to where all the others are crowded around Chanyeol’s lifeless body. Baekhyun hasn’t stopped crying, nor does he let anyone touch Chanyeol, practically hissing when Sehun tries to grab his hand. Junmyeon isn’t sure what to say, doesn’t even know if he can speak, but a sudden gasp distracts him.

Baekhyun has reared back, still holding onto Chanyeol’s shoulders but looking at him with a startled face. They all watch him silently until he frowns and shakes his head, bringing Chanyeol back to where he was cradling him before. Junmyeon doesn’t have time to wonder what that was about when he hears a distinct groan and Lu Han almost faints next to him.

Chanyeol is mumbling something against Baekhyun’s chest. It’s clear as day, the way his jaw moves up slightly with the effort, not to mention Baekhyun looks ready to drop any second. “Chanyeol?” he asks, nothing but a mere whisper.

“I can’t breathe Baek.”

“Oh my God!” Baekhyun screams, tearing away from Chanyeol. They stare at each other for one long second before Baekhyun is launching himself on top of him, tears flowing once more while he mutters something over and over.

“Are they going to kiss anytime soon or what?”

Yifan hits Sehun on the side of the head while the maknae whines at the rough treatment and wiggles under Lu Han’s arm. However, his uncalled for comment does a little good, because Baekhyun is kissing Chanyeol like there’s no tomorrow, even though the tears don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Someone catcalls, probably Jongdae, and Baekhyun frees one hand to give him a rude gesture before going back to gripping Chanyeol like he might disappear if he lets go for too long.

-

The rescue team arrives not long after that. After they all suffered a heart attack courtesy of Chanyeol’s death-not-death, they all moved to the building they knew had their ship. Junmyeon bites back a smile when he spies Chanyeol grabbing Baekhyun’s hand almost shyly, tugging the smaller boy closer to him.

Their ship looks good as new. Minseok checks the engines quickly, making sure everything is working correctly. Meanwhile, Junmyeon toys with the radio, looking for the frequency Commander Lee told them he uses.

“Commander?” Junmyeon asks when he finds an open signal.

“Affirmative,” the gruff response comes. “The rescue team is minutes away from landing, Kim. What’s the situation?”

“We’re alive, sir,” Junmyeon breathes. _Thankfully_ , he thinks to himself. “The humans are dead. All of them.”

“Alright Kim, we’ll see you soon.”  
“Yes, sir.”

True to his words, the rescue team lands outside the building almost right away. Junmyeon is more than delighted to find that said team includes Jongdae’s older brother, an experienced technician who, after squeezing his dongsaeng for a long minute, checks their ship and finds that the humans have placed a tracker deep within the engines.

“It’s a good thing we brought this baby then,” Captain Taeyeon says at the news, patting her ship with love. Junmyeon remembers she has powers too, but can’t quite recall what it is. “It’s big enough to fit all of you kids.”

“You’re like a year older than us,” Minseok remarks.

Taeyeon sends him a smile. “And don’t you forget it.”

-

The ship is silent as they leave. Junmyeon’s brothers are all passed out from exhaustion, tangled together in a heap of limbs; he can’t fall asleep though, no matter how comfy Yixing’s arm is.

Junmyeon sighs for what feels like the nth time. The rescue team weren’t too far away, Captain Taeyeon piloting the ship with her right hand snoring into her shoulder; if Junmyeon recalls correctly, her name is Stephanie and she may not have any power, but he’s seen her in combat and she’s actually intimidating.

“Can’t sleep?” Minseok murmurs to his right. When they went to sleep, all the boys collapsing to the ground in unison, Junmyeon had ended up next to his hyung and feared for a moment they would have to talk about the kiss, but Minseok fell asleep quickly and Junmyeon breathed in peace.

Junmyeon shakes his head. Minseok slides closer, pulls Junmyeon to his chest and presses a kiss to the crown of his head, urging Junmyeon to relax. With the warmth from his brothers all around him, and the comforting weight of Minseok’s head on top of his, Junmyeon is lulled to sleep, confident that when he wakes up, he’ll be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i fool anyone yay or ney
> 
> this is the last official chapter!! this is the first time i finish a chaptered fic and i'm so happy and proud of myself *.* there will be be two more chapters, one layhan back story and a chanbaek tiny sequel because my irl is literally screaming into my ear at the moment. 
> 
> also, please let me know if you liked this! i know it isn't the best story, but i definitely would love feedback; if you have any requests for a back story or a sequel or prequel or anything like that, i'm more than willing to write it for you!
> 
> thank you for reading this and i hope you had a good time ^^


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